This invention relates to barbecue grills which can be fueled with a solidified or semisolidified fuel source. More particularly, this invention relates to a barbecue grill which is portable and can be fueled with a solidified or semisolidified fuel source in a manner such that the burning of the fuel can be precisely controlled.
It is common practice to provide either gas or charcoal as a fuel source in a barbecue grill. In a gas barbecue grill a tubular-like burner element of various configurations is utilized. A typical burner element of this sort is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,781. Barbecue grills, whether of the stationary or portable type, have been designed for use with both charcoal and gas. A gas supplied portable barbecue grill unit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,431. In utilizing a portable grill, it is necessary to keep the weight and the amount of the material necessary to operate the grill at a minimum. Prior to this invention, the use of solidified or semisolidified fuel in portable type burners in mainly camp stoves has been commonplace. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,025,849; 3,130,774 and 3,152,585 are typical. It would be advantageous to have a barbecue grill apparatus which would utilize a source of a solidified or semisolidified fuel as the heat source and at the same time provide a necessary means of controlling the rate of combustion of the fuel.
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a barbecue grill apparatus which utilizes as the heat source solidified or semisolidified fuel. Another advantage is a barbecue grill unit wherein the combustion rate of solidified or semisolidified fuel can be adequately controlled. Other advantages are a barbecue grill of the aforementioned type which is portable; offers the same advantages of cooking environment as a standard grill; can be manufactured without special tooling and few parts; and can be readily manufactured and operated without precise tolerances or control methods.